DUAL Hawthorn premiership coach Alastair Clarkson is convinced the "chemistry" displayed by his playing group will ensure it remains a contender after the club secured its 11th premiership success.

Speaking after the Hawks' hard-fought 15-point win over Fremantle before more than 100,000 people at the MCG, Clarkson said all the hard work and planning since last year's Grand Final loss to Sydney had been worth it.

And he insisted that the secret to the Hawks' remarkably successful season - its AFL and VFL teams won both flags – had more to do with the overall personnel at his disposal than his own coaching and guidance.

“I don't think it is my secret, it is a club secret in employing good people," Clarkson said.

"Our club is very, very well governed ... we have a coaching group that is really dedicated in terms of making this group the best they possibly can be.

"We have that chemistry right through the group. I think is our 11th cup and that is a special moment for our club."

Clarkson said the club was well placed to remain right in the mix to defend its premiership success, even though star forward Lance Franklin looks likely to accept a massive offer from Greater Western Sydney.

Lance 'Buddy' Franklin speaks with another former 23 for the Hawks, Dermott Brereton. Much has been made of the Hawthorn star's future, but he talked about the emotion of the day.

Franklin was in tears in the rooms after the game and will make his decision in the coming days.

"We will work that out over the next few days," he said. "Tonight is not a time to be considering that.

"It is a time to be celebrating a wonderful year by our footy club.

It is 'Foxy' (chief executive Stuart Fox) and (recruiting/list manager) Graeme Wright’s role and (football manager) Chris Fagan in terms of working out our contracts, but we will worry about that in the next few days rather than worrying about it tonight."

Clarkson, who became the 25th multiple premiership-winning coach praised the team for the manner in which it dealt with adversity and last year’s Grand Final loss to Sydney.

And he said the manner in which they ground our yesterday’s tough encounter with the desperate Dockers, as well as came from 20-points down against Geelong in last week’s preliminary final, was testament to their fighting spirit.

“We had to work really hard as footy club, we won a flag in 2008 which probably the whole footy world and our footy club thought was probably quicker than we thought we were going to win,” he said.

“We were obviously delighted to win it ,(but) it has taken a lot of hard work to win this second one. We have changed a lot of things at our footy club and it is really a reward for our club, our board, or administration, our coaches and our players.

A defensively brilliant game by Hawks defender Brian Lake has earned him the 2013 Norm Smith Medal.

Clarkson said the Hawks had had to deal adversity this year, with injuries to key players, but was proud of the way his group gelled when under duress.

"We have able to inject new players into our side, some like 'Lakey' (Brian Lake) and other kids who have come through the draft, and (Ryan) Schoenmakers, (Matt) Suckling and (Brendan) Whitecross, who have all had ACL injuries this year," he said.

"We have had a fair bit of adversity that we have come through, and for us to be able to overcome those pieces of trauma and get ourselves to a Grand Final said a lot about those four boys and also our medical team with how we go to extra lengths to get the job done."

He praised Norm Smith Medal winning defender Brian Lake and forward Jack Gunston, who kicked four goals from 19 in the game, saying they had both made significant contributions.

Lance Franklin has been gifted an early goal thanks to a 50m penalty cause by Fremantle’s Luke McPharlin not staying on the mark.

“And (Gunston), to kick four goals … is a pretty significant performance. His effort to kick them at one end and this bloke next to me (Lake) to save them at the other was really important in the context of the game.

“It was a really tight battle, (and) hard to find standout players for both sides. It was just a real grind and that’s the way Grand Finals are sometimes.

“We had to do it the hard way, but we are pleased out guys were able to grind it out.”

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